January Check-In
This essay appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 1/26/26. Subscribe here!
Three Steps to a Happier Monday
Before we dive into a new week, let’s pause and ask ourselves some simple questions to reflect on where we’ve been, get excited about something today and set an intention for the week ahead.
GRATITUDE: What are three things I appreciated from the weekend?
TODAY: What’s one thing I can be excited about today?
INTENTION: What is my intention for this week?
For me, I’m thankful for a warm home, a great workout Saturday morning and good nights of sleep. Today, I’m most excited about getting some writing done during nap times. And my intention for the week is to write down three things I’m thankful for every morning.
Okay, your turn! And if you want to share, I am all ears. 🙂
Monday Musings: January Check-In
To me, January always feels like the longest month of the year. I love it, but still – it’s a long one. Can you believe there’s another week of it left?!
This year, one thing that helped break it up was spending the first half of the month at my parents’ house in Florida. I’m so grateful the timing worked out with maternity leave – it was really special to spend that extended time with them, have their help with Ben and ease into the new year together. It also meant Ben took his first airplane flights (!!!), and I’m happy to report that he did so great.
Now I’m back in frozen, snow-covered Indy, enjoying a few more weeks of being the one with Ben every day. What’s unique about this year is that it doesn’t quite feel like I’m getting back to a routine – it feels more like continually adjusting to a new one. I have a few weeks of maternity leave left (sob!), and then it will be time to figure out a new normal: me returning to work and, in a few months, Ben starting daycare.
It’s easy to let myself spin a bit thinking about all that change, but for now I’m trying to take it one week at a time.
So, let’s catch up on a few highlights from January:
First anniversary celebration
Matt and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary on January 3! Wow, what a year. Since we were in Florida, we had plans to leave Ben with my parents and head out for drinks and dinner. But the day before, I came down with a nasty cold and wasn’t feeling great. By our anniversary I was on the mend, but I didn’t want to push it.
Enter my parents to save the day! They suggested we still celebrate even if we were staying home and said they would take care of dinner and watching Ben. Matt and I enjoyed a long walk outside where we talked about the last year, looked ahead to this year and even answered some of the New York Times’ 36 Questions to Fall In Love together. When we got back, my mom had transformed our back porch into a restaurant – meals plated and everything. It was honestly the perfect celebration. So nice of my parents to help us celebrate and fun to reflect with Matt on everything we’ve experienced and what we’re excited about in the year ahead. (I just love that our anniversary falls at the beginning of the year!!).
Walks outside in Florida
The biggest highlight of being in Florida was seeing my parents with Ben. A close second, though, was our daily walk outside. It felt so good to settle Ben into the stroller for a solid nap and not have to worry too much about bundling up in layers.
He sleeps so well in the stroller that most days I just kept walking until he woke up. It was great for building my stamina and getting some much-needed outdoor time. I love walking outside, looking at nature and listening to a good book or podcast. I’m really looking forward to warmer temperatures in Indy so we can resume our walking routine here!
First Orange Theory Fitness class
One of my 2026 goals was to try an OrangeTheory Fitness class – and I did it! Matt and I went on a Saturday morning in January and both really liked it.
When we lived in Chicago, we had a great routine of going to a workout studio called Barry’s on Saturday mornings (conveniently right around the corner from our apartment) and then grocery shopping afterward. As we reflected on last year and talked about what we want more of in the year ahead, we realized how much we miss that rhythm! It’s such a great way to start the weekend.
It’s definitely harder now for both of us to make it to a workout class, but we’re hoping to make this a routine most weekends.
A winter mindset
I hope everyone is staying safe and warm!! Seems like this winter storm seemed to impact just about everywhere! This phrase might hit a little too close to home right now, but I read it earlier this month and thought instantly I love that:
“Appreciate that snow is prettier than rain.”
While snow certainly comes with its challenges (I write as I’m cozy inside and Matt is out shoveling the driveway…), I really do think this is a great winter mindset. It’s about looking at something that could feel difficult and choosing to notice what’s good within it.
And at least to me, it rings true – snow feels more magical and prettier to look at than rain. Knowing it was going to snow all weekend made me think ahead about cozy experiences: stocking up on baking ingredients, planning tomato soup and grilled cheese for dinner and pulling out comfy clothes. I don’t think I would do the same thing for a rainy weekend (though come March, I will appreciate that it’s warm enough to rain instead of snow!).
A conversation that stayed with me
I can’t think about January without also thinking about everything happening in the US & around the world. It’s hard not to feel discouraged. But one conversation that found its ways to me this month and lifted my spirits was this interview with Elizabeth Oldfield. The conversation made me really want to read Elizabeth’s book.
As I understand it (from the one conversation I listened to), in her book, she explores how the Christian tradition is, in many ways, an apocalyptic tradition – and how its spiritual practices and rituals offer guidance for what to do when the world feels like it’s ending. I especially appreciated how clear she was that there’s a lot to be gained from this wisdom even if one doesn’t necessarily subscribe to a particular faith.
It was a thought-provoking conversation (um, did I hear the word commune?!), and felt like something I needed amid the stream of news headlines.
What have been some of your January highlights? I’d love to hear.